Monday, April 19, 2010

Learning the Craft

Books about writing books-- what a self-promoting industry. Ideally, I'd love to take a class, or pay somebody to edit my last manuscript, so that I could pinpoint my exact weaknesses. But alas, time and money are always an issue, right? So I'm trying to get close and personal with the library and check out some books on writing (which are surprisingly good because, of course, they're written by writers!). Right now I'm reading a book on character development. The author tells the story about a manuscript he was writing and a challenge he came across while describing a certain character. Then he says, as a side note, "I still finished the book and got it published." Oh, that I could have that as my side note! Just one simple sentence, yet it seems like such an insurmountable feat. Do people who write manuscripts really get them published? Obviously they must-- like I said, I've been to the library. I even know a few authors personally. But still, it's hard to believe it actually happens to normal people like me. Hmmm, maybe I'm too normal. Perhaps I need to develop a weird trait or habit-- like typing pathetic posts to myself about my longing to be published, for example.

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About Me

I'm a wife, a mom, and a writer-- usually in that order, but sometimes I get my rolls confused.

I've been a lover of good writing and literature since I was a child. I have a BA from BYU in (of course) English Literature, and though I don't read it exclusively, I tend to find myself hovering around the Fantasy sections of the book store.

I've always loved writing, but I never thought I'd write fiction (if I had, I definitely would've taken more creative writing classes in college *sigh*). But two and a half years ago I was up at a cabin for a family reunion, driving through the pine trees and the rolling hills, when the thought came to me, "this would be a great setting for a story." My mind took off from there and hasn't slowed down since.

So now here I am, hearing voices in my head, waking up in the middle of the night with a great plot twist, and forcing my children to ask me questions three or four times because my mind is off wondering through enchanted forests and magical kingdoms.

My Book Reviews

I'm a writer, not a professional reviewer. But people who know about my love for books often ask for suggestions, so I thought I'd start posting some reviews on my blog.

However, I will usually post only about books that I like, and what I like about them.